Valentine's Day
by Haninator
Summary: Cute fluff soon to be TEAR-JERKER based on the song of the same name by Linkin Park. Gotta love that song, guys. :D The character death that cannot be avoided occurs in Chapter 10, for those of you who care...
1. Chapter 1 Zelink

Just for the record, I had this typed on May 30th, so don't even try to say that this is late. My timing is perfectly fine. XD I got the song "New Divide" by Linkin Park, so that's what inspired me to write this chappy. I was excited because it's such an amazing song! XD What can ya do? I love Linkin Park! They're great! BTW, I don't own the Legend of Zelda, nor do I own Link… *cries* nor do I own "Valentine's Day," which belongs to Linkin Park. *sighs* I do own the story line. BTW, I don't own any of the chars, they're Miyamoto's… at this point. I will put in an OC or two eventually. They obviously are owned by me.

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Chapter 1 Zelink

Link and Zelda had just finished a picnic lunch and were relaxing while looking up at the clouds. A profound thought came to Link and he felt the urge to ask Zelda about it.

"Hey, Zel," Link said, getting Zelda's attention.

"Yeah?" she responded, sitting up. Noticing this, he followed suit.

"How do you know when you're madly in love with someone?"

The question caught her off guard. "Um… you just get that feeling."

"Like you can fly, but only higher than anything that can be seen?"

"Yeah. That and whenever you get near the person you love, you feel a little on edge, as if you know you're gonna say something stupid. Eventually it'll pass though."

"The stupid feeling?"

"Yes. Link, do you know how I know?"

"How?" his blue eyes were so deep and intense, lakes of the purest water she'd ever seen, she lost herself completely in those eyes. She leaned closer and kissed him.

When she had to come up for air, she replied. "That's how I feel right now. Link, I love you."

Link's eyes were wide, perhaps a side-effect of the kiss and what she'd just said combined. There was something else there too. The return of all the feelings she'd described, along with a butterflies-in-his-stomach feeling of excitement, somehow conveyed though the way he stared so intently back at her. He pulled her close. "I love you too," he blushed, as if the words had some sort of power that could cripple even the strong Hero of Time. There was something more he had to say, she could tell. "Always have, if truth be told."

She smiled. "Somehow, I knew it." She didn't make fun of him, as he'd feared. She was someone he could be open with, someone he didn't want to ever lose.

"Hey, Valentine's Day is coming up in a few weeks. Do you wanna… I don't know… go to a… ball or something?" he asked awkwardly.

"I'd love too."

Link's heart fluttered. _I did it!_ he thought. _ I finally asked Zelda out without the world crumbling before us. I feel GREAT!!!_

_I thought he'd never ask,_ Zelda thought. _I almost considered going with someone else. I don't know who, but it looks like I won't have to figure that out._

Link pulled Zelda close in a hug. _Thanks, Zel, you've made my day. No, you've made my life worth something. Thank you so much._

They sat there, hugging for a long time, just enjoying the warmth of each other in the cool breeze of Hyrule Field. Epona stood there, munching grass at the edge of Link's vision, completely oblivious to anything that had happened between the young couple in the past few minutes. Link smiled. This was how things were supposed to be. Zelda here in his arms, him there to return her hugs and kisses. This was everything he wanted, everything he needed. The king could keep his heaps of gold. Talon could keep his special cuccoos. Ganondorf could keep his power (as long as he didn't hurt anyone with it). Link didn't need any of it, didn't want any of it. It couldn't compare with how Zelda made him feel: heroic just for being there. The feelings he got from being around Zelda were intoxicating, made his heart soar as Kaepora Gaboera did over the beautiful kingdom of Hyrule. Not even the feeling of freedom he received whenever he rode Epona over the swells of land that constituted the kingdom could even be worthy to attempt a comparison to the way he felt when he was in Zelda's arms. The best part was that he thought she felt the same way when he was in her arms. His assumption was well-founded.

"Zel, you don't mind if we… say… had our portrait painted?" Link asked randomly.

"Not at all. I've got cash to spare. I'm a princess, you know," she teased, as lovers do.

"Yeah, how could I forget," he returned, replicating her tone perfectly.

"It's okay," she patted him lovingly on the back, "I won't let you."

Link smiled and picked a piece of grass and twirled it in his fingers. "Zel, I think if we're serious… I don't know…" _Why is it so hard for me to ask her a question?!? I'm supposed to have the Triforce of Courage! Nothing should be THIS hard for me! Killing the monsters was easier than asking Zelda this!_

"Link, I think we are serious. We both know we're madly in love with each other. I don't think that that would be rushing things. Sure, I'll marry you."

Link looked at her in shock. She already knew what he was going to say before he'd say it. That was most definitely a key sign that they were closer than most boyfriends and girlfriends were after going out for a few months. "How'd you know?"

"Triforce of Wisdom. I guess it works better more often than the Triforce of Courage," she teased and Link's face turned red.

"I've never loved someone so much before. I mean Saria and I had a puppy love relationship. I never was deeply in love with someone before. This whole thing is new to me. It was hard to even ask you to the Valentine's Day ball."

"Is it because you can't dance?" Zelda asked, teasing with every bone in her body. He playfully shoved her. She was very conscious of his hand on her knee (since they were sitting pretzel-style, this was one sure way to tip Zelda over) as she fell back to land softly on the blanket. He hadn't shoved hard, just enough to tip her over and get a laugh.

"No. It's because I… I'm not used to asking girls to go somewhere with me. I've never had the time for romance. Now I do. Hyrule isn't in as much danger as it was then. Sure, Ruto was bent on getting me to be her husband," he shuddered. The Zora princess had been and still was a selfish brat. It was a good thing they'd been separated by their individual paths. "but I wanted nothing to do with her," he finished. Those had been traumatic times for both of them. Ganondorf had just begun his takeover scheme.

She hugged him to her. "It's okay. Don't you worry about it. I won't care if you step on my feet." This time he smiled, knowing she'd used a metaphor. In a way dancing was like a relationship. You started out stepping on each other's feet, then eventually you got good at avoiding the unintentional hurt caused by your partner.

"I won't mind when you step on mine," Link said. They kissed again, slowly, savoring the feeling, then broke away to pack up the blanket and take Epona back to the castle and commence her daily care.

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I know, it's kinda sappy, but I think it's kinda cute. It'll get better. I dedicate this fic to all of you readers who I loves to death. (FRIENDLY LOVES) Loves sounds cooler, as you'd know if you read LQP (Link's Quest for Pizza). This is my first really serious Zelda fic (if you read my other fics with Link, you'd know that I usually have Link getting hyper and saying random stuff (main example being Link's New Adventure)), so bear with me. Hugs and cookies to all who review!!!!!!!!!!


	2. Chapter 2 Link

Hey, guys! I'm back! It's surprising that a month has already passed. I am at a loss as to what to type next, so this is gonna be a crazily thrown together chappy. I apologize in advance! I may have to reduce the number of chapters I put out, 'cauz there are eight more updates that I would have to do before I got to the chappies before the big day. Well, "here goes… _everything_," Bumblebee, Link's New Adventure. There ARE references to Link's New Adventure in this (somewhat a continuation of it… or at least a possible ending to the series), so if you're confused, just put your questions in the review you leave, or read LNA. Peace out! (Sorry, I got bored again, 'kay!)

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Chapter 2 Link

The duo rode Epona back to the castle, talking about how wonderful the land looked at that particular time of afternoon. When they reached their destination, Link dismounted gracefully and moved to lift Zelda from his horse. The princess had already slid off, and walked around the mare, putting her hand on the horse's flank so that she wouldn't get spooked and kick her in the face.

"I'm not totally helpless," she said, slipping him a flirtatious smile.

"I know. I just thought I would help you off, you know. Try to be a gentleman. You girls are all the same: accuse us of being uncivilized; and then, when we do something gentleman-like, you turn it down saying that you can do it yourself," Link gave her a lopsided grin.

"I'm not like that."

"Really?" Link teased.

"Yeah," Zelda replied in that "what else would you expect" tone that only she could get right.

"Uh huh," Link said skeptically.

"Since when did I say you _weren't_ a gentleman?"

"Hmmm… the day we met. Since you never said I was a gentleman, then you implied that I wasn't."

Zelda made the face that when written as an emoticon resembled "T.T".

Link smiled and put his arm around her shoulders. "How about I walk you to your room, princess?"

"Fine, if it pleases you."

"You know it would," Link reproduced the lopsided grin.

"I know where you picked that up. It was that Solo character wasn't it?"

Link's expression became sheepish. "Yeah. Why do you make it sound like a bad thing?"

"I do?" Zelda dodged. "It's not, I just wanted to know."

"Of course you did."

They walked up the elegant stairs which eventually gave way to a nicely decorated stone hallway. Tapestries lined the walls. One in particular caught Link's attention and he stopped to stare at it. The tapestry depicted a lone warrior on a horse that reminded him of Epona. He noticed the lone warrior was clad in green and realized that he was looking at an artist's depiction of himself. The deep blues and violets used to color the sky swirled and mixed, creating a beautiful night sky. The yellows and greens of the grass in the tapestry had the same effect, though it was somewhat muted by blues that had been added almost as an afterthought to bring believability to the picture. There was also a silvery moon and everything seemed overlaid with the silver of actual moonlight. There was another rider visible in the distance of the tapestry's background, but it was sheathed in black, horse and all.

"Who weaved this?" Link asked, awe penetrating his tone. Zelda turned towards him and smiled conspiratorially.

"I did," she answered proudly. "While you were off with the others. In America."

"I didn't know you could weave. Let alone like this." Link ran his fingertips over the fabric, enjoying the softness of the threads against them.

"I had Impa teach me. I had nothing better to do. Until Ganondorf came back. He's still on the loose, you know."

"I know. He's not botherin' anyone right now though. He's chilling out, so we can too."

"Link, as much as I wish to believe that, I can't. I think he's amassing an army while we're sitting still. I've ordered any volunteers to get together and start training. I'm sorry, but I'm afraid they aren't very good. Anyone with half a brain would know how to perform better than they do. I think you would be the best choice to train them."

"Me?" Link jerked his finger at his chest.

"Yes. Who better? You've faced Ganondorf before and beaten him. You know how he fights and how to counteract his style properly. You're our only hope."

"I wouldn't say that. _They_ are our only hope. If they don't learn how to _be_ an army, Hyrule's gonna reap the horrors for decades afterwards. I just know what to do to whip 'em into shape. There's a big difference, Zel. Sure, I'll fight if it comes to that. They'll need a leader. I guess if I were to train 'em, they'd trust me."

"They would. We need you again. I guess there's never a time when _anyone _can get any rest around here," Zelda said ruefully. "Thanks, Link."

"You're welcome… to stay in your room for about three months so I can train these poor brainless soldiers-to-be," Link teased. "You won't wanna come out any sooner, or else the sight'll give ya some _real_ worries." Link winked at her as they reached her door.

"Oh, you!" she yelped, giving him a playful punch in the upper arm.

"Hey! I'm gonna need that to train your people!" Link half-teased.

Zelda laughed and closed the door so she could work on some urgent matter involving an alliance with some other country. Link didn't really care what country the alliance would take place with, but he knew it never hurt to have an ally or two in a time of war. He walked back down to pull out Epona's brush and began stroking the animal's short coat. She smiled as well as a horse possibly could, and Link chuckled. Epona whinnied cheerfully at the idea of getting the dirt that made her skin itch out of her coat. A few minutes later, Link was cleaning out her hooves and putting fresher hay in the stall where she was going to spend the night.

"Okay girl, I'm gonna be outside a little bit. Zelda asked me to do something for her and I agreed to it. You know I've gotta keep my word, right?"

Epona nodded her large head. Whoever said animals were dumb had forgotten to put her into that equation.

Link left the stables, and jogged down to the courtyard where the soldiers-to-be were training, and if anything Zelda had said was to be honored, unsuccessfully so. The second he rounded the corner, any doubt that he may have harbored evaporated. Some of the volunteers were either half-asleep or drunk and stumbling around. It was obvious that none of them had ever used a sword before. Those who were practicing with them were having difficulty just holding them upright, let alone swing it without spinning around due to the momentum they'd built up. The minute he walked in, the general relaxed demeanor among the majority vanished and Link was slightly impressed that they knew he was there to straighten them out. The half-asleep (at least he hoped they weren't drunken) men continued their ill-judged attacks and dodges. Thankfully, none of them were hurt severely by the blows since they'd had the sense to use wooden blades.

"Listen up! Your princess has asked me to train you for war. There are some things I won't be able to prepare you for. Let me be completely straightforward with you all: the man to either side of you may not return. You might not return. If you didn't realize this when you volunteered for any reason and aren't comfortable with it, leave now. All the rest of you need to pay attention." Link was relieved when only a good portion of the drunks, he could smell the liquor on their breath, walked away. "We're gonna start out with the basics. Let's try a few marching exercises." Link led the large group of men in a march around the courtyard after assembling them into ranks. They marched around the same path with very few variations for a few hours, Link taking mental notes of how the men were holding up. They had apparently been farmers before and therefore were strong and had considerable endurance. It would help them greatly in a battle. The next three hours he spent going over signals and other communication issues that they would have to overcome during a battle. As the daylight began to wane, Link set the men free to their families, granted they had anyone to care about them on the condition that they return at 0700 hours [7:00] the next day. He'd gone over the military clock for them so that they would understand the meaning of his words when he referred to time in that manner. He'd checked with one of the men to make sure they knew what was meant. He'd been exactly correct and Link had congratulated him.

After spending time with the men, Link realized that he'd have a hard time dealing with the inevitable deaths of his comrades. Harder than normal. But at the moment, he was too exhausted to care. Even defeating monsters set in place by Ganondorf couldn't begin to prepare _anyone_ for training an army. He had half a mind to just go to the room Zelda was providing for him and just _sleep_… the other half of his brain and his stomach suggested that he go down to the dining room and rejoin Zelda. He gave in to the second half of his brain and walked down the corridors of the castle to meet Zelda and her father in the dining hall. Food lined the table and multiple guests were helping themselves.

"Sorry I'm late," Link apologized, very conscious of how loudly his stomach growled at the aroma of roasted cuckoo and multiple other dishes.

"It's alright," Zelda answered for her father, giggling. "I saved you a seat and some of the best cuckoo." She winked and he took the seat next to her. Link was relieved to notice that the other guests had paid him no mind.

"Thanks," he responded, tearing into the meal. It wasn't until he'd finished the cuckoo on his plate and was looking for something else to shove in his mouth that Zelda thought she'd actually get an answer that was more than "Mm hmm" or "Nnm hmm," from him.

"So, how did the training go?"

"Decent. They're learning pretty well. They just have ta focus really hard."

"It seems like it was pretty tough. You didn't eat like this after you defeated Ganondorf the first time."

Link blushed. "It's not my fault! You can't blame a guy for doing what he's been asked to do and accomplishing the mission! So why are you blaming me now? I'm hungry woman!" Link said, only half-teasing.

Zelda laughed again. "I didn't have to study you for very long to figure _that_ out."

"Hey, you know we've gotta quit doin' this if we're gettin' hitched."

"'Hitched'? You have _got _to be kidding me. You actually use that word?"

"Uh… occasionally. When I feel like acting like a scoundrel," Link shot her the lopsided grin.

"You might be a scoundrel, but you're my scoundrel," Zelda said, giving him a hug, not caring that her father was watching and that Link was still eating.

"Uh… princess," Link said, patting her back. "You're kind of strangling me."

"Kind of?" Zelda asked, if anything making her grip tighter and more vise-like. She liked the feel of his well-muscled back against her arms.

"Okay… very much so!" Link rasped out, certain that Zelda was indeed _trying_ to make him more than slightly uncomfortable.

"'Very much so' what?"

"You're STRANGLING me!"Link said, going limp.

"Link?" Zelda asked, loosening her grip greatly. He didn't respond. "Link? LINK?!?"

"Gotcha!" Link said, springing up and breaking her grip on him. He smiled playfully and she glared at him.

"NEVER do that again." She said it in her most commanding princess-y tone.

"You know you liked it," Link said, winking.

"I did NOT!"

*

After dinner, Link decided to take a brief walk around the perimeter of the castle. Zelda had more business to attend to and couldn't take the walk with him. He was VERY awake after the dinner conversation. Zelda had managed to send a decent half-play-punch at his shoulder for scaring her and now that he thought about it, he did kind of deserve it. The king for some reason had blocked the two twenty-year-old sweethearts from his mind during the meal as had everyone else. Link was glad for that because the last thing he needed was to be told that he and the princess would never hit it off or that they _couldn't_ get married because he was a commoner and she was royalty. Typical princess story. Link found his mind drifting to the men he was training. Despite what Zelda had said, they learned fast, and he knew that they'd do Hyrule and her king proud. He just hoped that the majority of his men would be coming home. He also hoped that Zelda wouldn't order something outlandish; like that they take her into battle with them. Eventually he had found a solution to every problem that he had thought up and was finally ready to head inside for a good night's sleep.

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Well, that was interesting! Now we all know what happens when we don't give me any ideas for a fic! This was a fun chappy to write and everything just fell into place beautifully for me… if you see any issues that I forgot to work out, please tell me so I can fix them. THANKS! Reviews are my friends and my motivation. Fewer reviews mean slower updates… *cackles evilly*


	3. Chapter 3 Zelda

I'm BAAAAACK! It's time for another update for Valentine's Day! I bet you could guess the chappy title because of the last one. Yes, for once, I'm centering a chapter on Zelda! O.O I've never done this sort of thing before, so tell me if it's an epic fail. Thanks! Cookies will be delivered to those cool enough to review. ;)

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Chapter 3 Zelda

Zelda sighed as she looked at the pile of papers and scrolls that took up most of her desk. An alliance here, an alliance there, a stray group of rogues wanting to help them against the King of Evil. There was so much diplomatic work that had to be taken care of that she wanted to throw her hands in the air and run off with Link. She wished she could have gone on that walk with Link earlier that night. What time was it anyway? She looked at the clock and winced, instantly regretting her choice. It was five past one-thirty. Looking ruefully at the array, she stacked the unfinished papers on one side and the finished on the other. She hoped they would all be on the finished side by tomorrow.

* (Note: a month has passed)

Link joined her and her father for breakfast. He was off by six-thirty in order to train the recruits for battle. Zelda thought that it was terrible that they only saw each other at meal times, but yet they were going to get married. She'd always thought that the two fiancés should spend as much time together as possible before their marriage, but here they were, sorting through truces and training an army. There wasn't enough time for this. They were hardly twenty, an age that was one of responsibility. Though many were already married at this age, Zelda felt that it was an injustice that they had to deal with such demanding problems; the success or failure of which would change the very state of their country. The new treaties and other diplomatic actions that had flowed in over a month's time had indeed piled up for her. She was now halfway through the stack of unfinished papers. It was a wonder how quickly she could work when she was angry. She glanced at the clock again. It was almost twelve. So much for quick work. The Triforce of Wisdom seemed to activate and help her at times, but become completely evasive at others. During some of the truces that needed to be worked out, it didn't give her so much as a hint and she went into them blind in a sense. She hoped that that wouldn't be the case for today. She looked out her window to see Link and the soldiers-to-be going through training exercises. She delighted in the commanding tone he took. _He sounds so masculine, so wonderful. _She let a smile creep onto her face. _I could listen to that voice for the rest of my life._

The paperwork was finished by lunchtime. Link allowed the soldiers to depart for lunch and walked to Zelda's room feeling great. The soldiers were learning very well and he was planning on teaching them with actual swords (not the wood-bladed ones they'd been using that morning, but steel-bladed, heavy weapons) the next day.

Zelda answered his knock and giggled when she saw it was him. "Hey beautiful," he said. "Care to join me?"

"Do I ever!" Zelda replied, smiling brightly. "I finally finished all that work. I can join you for a walk whenever you're ready."

"The soldiers are doing really well. I guess I could give 'em a bit of a break." He smiled, obviously teasing her a little. The soldiers had surpassed her expectations and she was more than willing to let Link continue training them. If that was what he thought was best, then that was what he would do. She trusted him with her life, and that was why she was so ready to get married to him.

*

After a pleasurable lunch, they went their separate ways. Link, to the soldiers, Zelda to see if there was anything else that needed to be resolved. Finding nothing, she went to talk to Epona. The horse was in the pasture around the back of the castle, near the stables. She talked to the animal about everything on her mind, mainly about Link and the inevitable battle. She could sense it coming: it was the one thing the Triforce of Wisdom didn't falter on. The hours passed slowly as she talked to and cared for Link's horse. Eventually she decided to take her out for a quick ride. She didn't think Link would mind much.

When she returned from her brief ride through the field of Hyrule Kingdom, Link had set the soldiers free from their training. He was standing there in the stables, a huge grin plastered across his face. "You ready to have some fun?" he asked, leaping onto Epona. He had timed the jump so that he wound up in front of her.

"Of course! Why wouldn't I be?" She giggled.

_I love the way she laughs,_ Link thought, smiling to himself. _It's hopeless now. There's no reversing what she's done to me. She made me fall in love, but it's not like I don't like it. _The smile grew and he reined Epona to a halt near Lake Hylia. "You love the water, don't you?" he asked gently.

"Yes!" The word came out as a gasp. Link felt her arms around his waist squeeze tighter in a hug of sorts.

He chuckled. "Thought so. You wanna get off and go for a swim?"

"Sure!" Link hopped off after her hands pulled away and he helped her down only because she let him.

The two swam for a while, and then lay out on the sand to dry themselves. By that time, the sun was setting, the reflection glinting in a soothing mix of reds and oranges. "Zel, I dunno about you, but I think it might be a good idea to go back now," Link said, his bare chest once again attracting Zelda's attention.

"Okay," she said reluctantly. Link put his tunic back on and Zelda put her dress back on (she and he weren't going skinny dipping, mind you!) and they both got on Epona and rode off.

Once they returned to the castle and put Epona in her stall and gave her her required items, they went to the dining hall. The king and everyone of importance were almost done with their dinner when they walked in.

"What kept you?" the king asked his daughter.

"We went for a brief swim. It wasn't anything but good clean fun."

Several occupants produced a titter of laughter, which died when the king looked out at them seriously. "I see. Your food is getting cold. Get over here daughter. Link, you too."

"Yes, your Majesty." Link bowed. There was only one thing that could make him feel so nervous: being directly ordered by the king to do something could only compare to when he'd first proposed to Zelda. The rest of the diners left the threesome to themselves.

"Zelda," the king said, managing to sound somewhat angry and exasperated at the same time.

"Yes father," she replied.

"You defiled the good opinions of our father-daughter trust bond." He said it flatly, a way that made Zelda feel worse than if he'd yelled it at her. Link uneasily pushed food around on his plate. He hated this just as much as getting yelled at by the king himself.

"It's not her fault." Link couldn't stop himself from saying it.

The king gave him a "yeah, right" look. "I'll leave you two to yourselves. Just try not to do that again." He rose and left the dining chamber to either go back to his throne room or go to bed.

Link and Zelda started talking as they ate, not caring that the food was cold, but rather each enjoying the company of the other. They stayed in the dining room long after they were finished, just talking and playing around. If any guards had come in at the time they would have given them weird looks, for it is impossible to look dignified when you're having fun and a princess must always appear dignified. The clock struck twelve and so that they wouldn't be too tired for their day off, the couple broke off their game of tag and went to their separate rooms.

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This was a fun chapter to write. Was it a fun chapter to read? I know the part with the swimming and the other nonsense was kind of dirty, but I had to have something happen that would make the king wonder. LOL. Anyways… reviews are my friends and I loves my friends! :D


	4. Chapter 4 A Day Off

I may have a new laptop, but it needs Microsoft Word so I can type stories, so that's an issue… Anyways… I will continue to update, though mainly on the weekends, like now. I WILL be on time with this fic (I mean I've got thirty days til the next chappy is due, which is plenty of time to type it, so there's no reason for it to not be done. I loves all of my reviewers/readers. BTW, I now accept anon reviews! Sorry it took me so long to get that done, but I got caught up in what I was doing. I apologize… again. Well, here ya have it. Link is very happy that I'm typing now! XD

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Chapter 4 A Day Off

Link awoke, his hat fallen to the floor for the umpteenth time that month. He was completely ready to train the soldiers until he reached the breakfast table and Zelda mentioned their day off. He'd almost forgotten and mentally kicked himself for forgetting that he'd told the soldiers to take it easy for the next day.

"Zel, what exactly do you wanna do on your day off?" Link asked between bites.

"I think it would be nice to do some planning for our big day… unless you forgot that too." Link could tell by her tone that she was joking. She must have read his expression when he walked through the door. Her and her Triforce of Wisdom. Link shook his head with an airy chuckle at the thought. Zelda gave him a puzzled look.

"Sure. Let's."

"What was so funny?"

"As if you didn't know. You are SO good at reading expressions! You should be a therapist!"

"Women aren't SUPPOSED to be doctors or therapists," the King interjected harshly. Link thought to himself, _what a grouch! I'm glad I didn't have a father who acted like that… then again at least Zelda _has _a father._

"Sorry, Your Highness. I didn't know you didn't approve." Link HATED having to try to please the King all the time. He was a royal pain in the highness, if truth were to be told. Link didn't want to have to amend what he said, just to keep from getting taken to the dungeon and punished by a master torturer. It wasn't that he couldn't take the pain, but rather that he didn't want to be separated from Zelda. Diplomatic skills almost always seemed to fail him and he felt completely off-guard in the King's presence.

"I assume that that is alright… for the moment. Boy, if you want to gain Zelda's hand in marriage, I recommend that you learn first how to talk to royalty."

"I am terribly sorry, my King," Link inclined his head, the best bow he could perform while sitting in a chair. "I did not wish to displease you." All the extra words that he had to say that weren't summed up in contractions and the regal tone were instilling a desire to scream within the twenty-year-old. _WHY IN THE WORLD DOES HE KEEP CALLING ME _"BOY"?!? Link wondered.

"Now, that's better. I think you will make an excellent son-in-law… and a wonderful husband for my daughter. Yes, you will be much nicer to her than that other suitor, Prince Traken. He might be a prince, but he does NOT possess your tenacity, your courage, or your people skills. Compared to you, Traken is an imbecile and utter jerk."

"I am honored, Your Excellency."

Zelda looked amused by Link's one and two sentence replies. Her father was making her angry though, acting like she was a piece of merchandise instead of a free-willed person. It wasn't soon enough that the King left the two to themselves. "So, Link? What kind of colors do you want for our wedding theme?"

"Green!" he responded quickly, making her laugh.

"I thought so. Do you like blue too?"

"Yup. It's a nice color." He took a few more bites, finishing the plate of food.

"That's good, because I took the liberty of getting the supplies already. The Triforce of Wisdom doesn't fail, does it?"

"What about that one time when you didn't know what to say to that one dignitary guy?"

"Uh… Mr. Holacov?" Zelda asked, a sheepish look on her face. "That was because he was _interested_ in me."

"So he was like me, but creepier?"

"MUCH creepier." Zelda said, forking the last bit of food on her plate. "Shall we go to the lake today?"

"Sure!" Link replied as some of the castle servants came to clear away the dirty dishes from all the higher ranking people. Link felt sorry for them. They didn't seem to be treated properly all the time. He'd even seen some of the visiting dignitaries spit at them and smack them with the flats of their swords. It made him grit his teeth and want to yell, but if he yelled at them, odds were that they would not ally their countries with Hyrule, which would be a fatal loss. So Link silently despised every time the servants were abused. While not in the presence of the King, for he would disapprove, Link had a habit of thanking the servants and giving them Rupees for their trouble. The current time was no different and as the two servants started clearing the table, Link thanked them both and paid them both Purple Rupees. They both smiled and thanked him as they tucked the currency into the pockets of their dirty, long since worn-out garments. "Have a good day, you two," he said gently. He knew that they probably had families and that it was very hard to keep them fed on the wages they received. Along his journeys, Link had accumulated more money than he could use, let alone carry comfortably. He figured that it was best to give that money to those who needed it and could use it well. He knew what it was like to be poor. At the start of his journey he knew nothing about Hyrule's currency system until he went into town and tried getting food for himself. The shopkeeper had had to explain the concept of money to an eleven-year-old. The keeper had asked where his parents were and Link had responded that he was a Kokiri. The shopkeeper, being a nice fellow had allowed the young boy a free meal. How could an eleven-year-old forest-dweller know what money was when he lived a sheltered life? Link had been thankful for his kindness, and so had wanted to spread brotherly love among all denizens of Hyrule.

Zelda found his compassion endearing and gave him a smile and a hug. "Thank you, both," she said to the servants, expressing sentiments that she wouldn't let on to around her father. She hated having to be a person she wasn't around her father and trying to be herself at all other times. The person her father thought she was wasn't who she wanted to be. He thought she was just snobby enough to be royalty, any less and she would be walked all over. In truth, it wasn't necessary for her to be snobbish to maintain control. The people of Hyrule loved her the way she was, and if she thought she was better than they were, they wouldn't take her seriously. Perhaps that was why the King wasn't always taken seriously by his subjects. That was a topic on which one could only guess.

"Let's go get Epona." Link's voice sounded great in Zelda's ears.

"Yes, let's."

*

The duo wound up at Lake Hylia again, swimming to their hearts' content and discussing their wedding plans between underwater sojourns.

"I have one simple rule for ya, Zel: Nothing pink or girly. Unless it's your dress of course," Link teased her.

"Very funny, Link. That's like having me tell you 'no evil twins or anything resembling a nemesis.' Easy there, buddy!"

"Sorry. I know it's not necessary to tell ya that, but it was a reflex, just to make sure, ya know?"

"I suppose. Yeah, I understand." Zelda teased, swimming behind Link to dunk him. He knew what she was going to do, but also knew that she wouldn't hurt him intentionally. The second he felt her hands on his shoulders, he took in a huge breath and she thrust him down under the surface. He began to struggle after thirty seconds just to play around with her, then went completely limp, like he had in the dining room a month ago.

"LINK?!!?" Zelda yelled, alarmed again as she pulled her boyfriend to the surface. His head drooped to his chest and she swam with him in her arms all the way back to the shore. He didn't show any signs of waking up either and Zelda was getting worried as she compressed his chest and tried breathing for him. She didn't know why she was doing what she was doing, but it was instinct for some reason. When her lips hit Link's in a rescue breath, like magic, he started kissing her deeply. She was shocked at first, then a knowing expression struck the parts of her face not involved in the kiss. Link had been faking the whole time. She needed to teach herself to disregard his shenanigans like this, but she knew if she did and he did experience a life-threatening situation and died, she would never forgive herself. She couldn't afford to try to push out his playful actions.

A long time later, the two broke away for air. "You're a good kisser," Link teased and Zelda gave his bicep a playful punch. "Hey! I need that!"

Zelda laughed. "I know. I just thought hitting you would help you to remember that you shouldn't pretend to be dead around your fiancé."

"Nuts. You're right. Sorry I scared ya. I guess the Triforce of Wisdom DOESN'T work so well that often." He smiled and Zelda chuckled nervously.

"We can't all be perfect, ya know!"

"Well, now you know how it felt when you said that sort of thing to me."

"Point taken. Can we go back to our swim?"

"After we take after Epona." The horse was grazing near the laboratory building.

"I'm NOT gonna eat GRASS!" Zelda teased.

"That's not what I meant. I meant we should go get something to eat. Not that we should go pick some grass and eat it!" Link responded.

"I know. I was just joking."

"I know. I just wanted to prove a point."

"Okay. What do you want?"

"Have you ever had Octorok?"

"No. Are you kidding?" Zelda asked.

"I'm not kidding. It tastes like cuccoo!"

"Are you sure it isn't poisonous?"

"Yeah, Zel. I ate it thousands of times."

"Okay…"

The two mounted Epona and set off for Zora's River where they found an Octorok which Link quickly killed and cleaned. He washed both the Master Sword and the Kokiri Sword off in the river and wiped it down with a cloth he kept just for that particular usage as the Octorok roasted over an open fire pit near them. Zelda was tending to the cooking because she wouldn't be able to adjust to normal life outside the castle if she didn't know how to cook, not that it was likely that they'd ever live outside of the castle, but it never hurt to be prepared.

Link smiled. "Okay, Zel, it's cooked now."

"Are you sure?"

"Thousands of times of experience here talking for ya."

"I take that as a yes."

Link chuckled. "No, it's not just 'cauz I'm hungry that I'm telling you that it's done, so don't even try to say it."

Zelda chuckled and said, "Okay," as she pulled the roasting spit off of the two support sticks and started ripping pieces of Octorok off and distributing them between the two small plates that Link had in the saddle bags on Epona's saddle, which he had removed upon reaching the lake. Link finished polishing off his swords as the smell of the Octorok made his stomach growl. Zelda handed his plate to him and he smiled.

"Thanks."

"No problem. You caught it to begin with. I just made sure it got cooked."

"So? It's still important. Raw Octorok can't taste good."

"You'd eat it anyway."

"You never know."

"Link, you're crazy."

"That and many other things which you neglect to mention, Zel," Link said around a mouthful of Octorok meat.

"For your own good." Zelda's smile was playful and full of mischief.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure."

Link chuckled softly as he finished up his bit of Octorok. He grabbed some more and took the liberty of putting more on Zelda's plate. She thanked him quietly. "No problem," he responded. He still couldn't believe that he was getting married to the girl in front of him. The girl of his dreams who he knew he wasn't worthy of. They went back to swimming after letting the food settle while looking at the beautiful white clouds. The twenty-year-olds played like they were no more than five and the world was devoid of any troubles or stress. After the sun began to dip beneath the horizon, Link and Zelda mounted Epona and left to a quite romantic candlelight dinner. Link had to admit that the day off had ended far too fast as he took Zelda back to her room at the castle. He sealed the moment, the entire day with a kiss which Zelda returned passionately.

____________________________________________________________________

According to a Zelda quiz I took…

You are....Link, the Hero of Time! Courageous and brave, selfless and honorable, you feel a need to help others. Even though you are the holder of the triforce or courage, you consider yourself a peasent, not worthy of the Princess' love. You have amazing strength and wisdom. You are kind, caring, and an amzing archer! Also, for a plus, YOU ARE HOT!!! Congratulati0ns!!!

So apparently I'm Link. :D As a matter of fact I LIKE being Link. Well, as far as personalities go, 'cauz I'm clearly not a guy. Apparently I DO have Microsoft Word on my laptop, but it doesn't have an automatic spell-check feature working currently. So I apologize for any typos or anything (they're probably there, but I don't see them yet). Thanks for reading! Oh, and I now have a Facebook. On my profile, I have a thing stating that I am Haninator from FanFiction… and something about Sheik is your motha. It's all good. LOL. Reviews are nice. Silicon… I promise I'll give ya a month's supply of cookies if ya take back what you said about Harrison Ford. Does it sound like a good idea to you?


	5. Chapter 5 Daily Routine Continues

Hey, I'm typing this from Spanish. I'm done with my project and have nothing better to do, so you get a little bit of a chapter right now! YAYs! Or at least I started typing this in Spanish class. By the time this goes up, it's been a few days since I started typing it. XD In any case, this fic's updates will be the most consistent, so don't worry about that. :D I'm sorry Han's new Adventure is taking me so stinking long, but at least it's getting done… Yes, updates are fewer due to school… namely AP Bio. BLEAH! In any case, it is no fun only being able to get on the computer to read and write fics only on the weekends. Well, here you are. Have fun with it!

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Chapter 5 Daily Routine Continues

Link left Zelda to herself for the night and walked to his room. He was disappointed that the day had gone by so quickly, but that was always the case when you were having the time of your life. Minutes passed like seconds. Hours like minutes and days like mere hours. It was hard to believe, but somehow was true. There was no way to stop the passage of time. Sure, Link had the Ocarina of Time, but that merely allowed him to travel back and forth through the flow of it. It didn't allow him to stop time for everyone else so that he and Zelda could play like the children they were at heart. Sure they were expected to be responsible twenty-year-olds, but they had to live it up sometimes, too. What was life if you couldn't have a little fun every now and then? Link made it back to his room and soon fell asleep.

*

The Hylian awoke to the feeling that he'd forgotten something important. But he couldn't think of it for anything in the world. The nagging feeling wouldn't go away either and that annoyed him the most out of it all. It was as if Navi were back, antagonizing him to try to get him to do stuff faster. He looked at the clock to see that it was six forty-five. _That's _what he'd forgotten: training the men. He threw on his tunic and bolted down the stairs, disregarding anything in his path. It was a good thing that there was nothing of any consequence in his way. Link wasted no time in getting to the courtyard and just barely managed to make it on time.

"I'm sorry, boys. Time always flies when you're tryin' to sleep, eh, guys?" Link said, showing the soldiers a crooked grin.

"Sure, General. We're ready," Ras Deragn declared for the group. Link had always liked this particular individual for his straightforwardness and general obedience. If Link had a favorite, Ras would be first in line. The seasoned warrior hoped Ras would live through the combat with Ganondorf. Ras was such a gentlemen, it was a wonder he'd never found a special someone. Perhaps it was his tendency to speak his mind that turned off the females. In any case, Link hoped that after all the trouble was over, Ras'd find someone the way he had… well not _exactly_ the way he had, but close enough. Link hoped that none of the young men before him would face war again as he went through the daily marching drills and then switched it up with a quick obstacle course game to help build their agility. The fact that Link demonstrated going through the course helped boost the soldiers' enthusiasm for the drill. A few hours later, Link was taken by surprise when his stomach growled loudly.

"What's the matter, General? Displeased with our work?" Ras teased.

"Very funny, Ras," Link returned, smiling lopsidedly. "I missed breakfast 'cauz I was late."

"Good one, General."

"I know. Get back in rank," Link admonished gently, almost fatherly.

"Yessir," Ras snapped off a quick salute and obeyed. If he were to fall, Link would miss him dearly. The rest of the day up until lunchtime was uneventful, partially because Link was experiencing difficulty thinking up new training ventures because he'd used up all of his ideas for creative ways to get the men to build their agility and skills already. He dismissed them, demanding that they return in an hour and a half.

By the time he got to the dining room door, the growls of his stomach had become an empty feeling in his middle. "Hi, Zel!" Link said without being spoken to.

"Link, the King's having an important dignitary over right now," Zelda said. She had been standing next to the door, but had walked over to him when he spoke. "They're using the dining room."

"So what are we supposed to do?"

"Either wait until he's done, or eat somewhere else."

"Let's take the second option. So… I thought you were running things."

"I was, but Dad thought this was too complicated for me to handle." Zelda rolled her eyes as if that were as far from the truth as possible. "Let's go outside for lunch."

"Alright," Link said, putting his arm around Zelda's shoulder and walked with her to the kitchen where they received their lunch (and Link gave a few more Rupees to the servants there) and then to the grassy area outside the castle itself.

"Do you think a month would give us enough time to plan our wedding and get everything all set up?" Zelda asked him as they pulled the food out of their basket.

"I suppose so. Yeah. Why? Are you in a rush or something?" Link asked, teasing her.

"No, I just want to see how flexible you are."

"Zel, you're silly."

"You're probably right, but now that you've agreed, that's how we're gonna play our cards."

"Okay, Zel. That's just fine," Link said, picking up a sandwich and gnawing on it. Then he thought about Zelda rather belatedly and grabbed a nearby sandwich for her. "Sorry, Zel."

"It's okay. I know, you skipped breakfast to train the soldiers-to-be."

"You can forget the 'to-be' part. They're soldiers," Link said, swallowing the bite of sandwich.

"It's good that they have improved that much."

"Zel, why were you so hard on them? They just needed a guiding hand. And yet you keep prodding their progress. No matter how little you think it is, it's still a step in the right direction."

"Link, I'm sorry, but I have to be selective. These are the people who'll _fight_ for our _country_. I can't afford to _not_ be selective. We need strong warriors for this, not half-trained farmers."

"Zel, you forgot that I was just a forest boy when I sealed Ganondorf away. As a forest boy, I had _no_ training whatsoever. I had to figure things out for myself. At least our men have someone along to show them what they need to know. You have to ease up. I mean, the _castle guards _aren't fit to shine the boots of these guys. Look at how efficient they were when Ganondorf took over. And now there're rumors of an army being amassed and whoever doesn't join it is killed. That's outright terrorism. We can't stand for that, so we make an army of our own based on _SPECULATIONS._Zel, never tell me that our army is faulty just because our men walked off their fields that morning. Because at one point, I was just a kid with a sword and a shield who was somehow expected to free the world of some guy's tyranny and now I know just how hard it is to fight a war."

"Link, I didn't mean to-"

"Shh." He placed his finger on her lips. "I know you didn't mean to get me riled up, but that's just it: I'm _not_ riled up. I just want to make sure you don't turn into a second 'King Harkinian'. He's a good king, but a terrible person. How many fans do you think he has spread out through the kingdom? If I had to guess, I'd choose 'not many'."

"LINK! That's my _FATHER _you're talking about!"

"Zel, now you know what I feel like when you say stuff like what you did about the soldiers." Zelda winced, realizing how quickly Link had turned the tables on her.

"You set me up." Zelda looked bewildered.

Link nodded. "You needed to know how it felt. That's a lesson we must all face. Looking at things from another person's point of view. Zelda, I just don't want to see you turning as hardened as the King. I want to be married to you, the sweet, loving girl I've dreamed of; not a girl version of the King of Hyrule."

Zelda giggled, prompting Link to say, "I do."

She looked at him. "That's a phrase we'll both be saying a month from now." She smiled warmly.

"I suppose, but odds are you girls like to hear it more than just then. I think it's because you need help remembering that we're that close. Maybe it's going to be the biggest mistake of our lives..."

"Or maybe it's the best choice we'll ever make." Zelda gave him a hug and he dropped the half-eaten sandwich to hug her back.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

AW! How cute! I love Ras Deragn, 'cauz I made him up BY MYSELF! His name belongs to me, so don't try to steal it. His personality is also mine. DON'T TRY TO STEAL IT! Okay, 'nuff said about Ras. The chappy is short because I thought it would give it a nice sort of cliffy (not a terrible one) if I left off with what I left off with. Keep in mnd what Link says about "the biggest mistake of our lives." There's a nice little bit of foreshadowing, there. *Smiles deviously* Thanks and I really like it when you push the review button and type stuff. AWESOME! See ya later! :D My Microsoft Word on my personal laptop ran out of free usages, so I need to find the product key before I can type more with it. So, to get around it, I will use the Document Manager stuff! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I prevail!

Link: What in the world?

Me: ;D

Link: Okay, then...

Both of us: Review! Gracias.

Link: Gracias?

Me: It's a joke. I started typing this in Spanish class. XD

Link: Ha ha... very funny... (under his breath) not.

Me: You know it to be true. XD


	6. Chapter 6 Wedding Preparations

Hey, it's nearly Halloween. On that note, do you guys think that I should do a special one-shot for the occasion? Like... maybe... a Zelda/Star Wars crossover Halloween party? Maybe? If so, please review before the actual day and I will attempt to write one before things get too crazy. I know, I haven't updated much this year, I blame AP Bio... *grumble grumble* In any case, here's you're chappy. I had a little bit of indecision as to what should happen this chappy, so keep that in mind as you read. That's the reason why this may seem a little strange or rushed. Please be patient, the tragedy will come in about five chappies. ;) And remember, GANONDORF HAS A POINTY NOSE! (Or at least OoT Ganondorf does. XD)

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Chapter 6 Wedding Preparations

Link returned to the courtyard to train the soldiers and arrived on time just barely. "Okay, guys, we'll resume where we left off. Those dummies over there are rigged so that they will attack when I give the proper command. Zelda set them up for us with some of her magic, so be sure to thank her." He smiled and continued, "They'll fight viciously until they are incapacitated or decapitated, whatever happens first. I'll demonstrate." At this point, he murmured something in a language that the soldiers didn't understand. "A'halaja unamatomeos." It was ancient Hylian. From before the war that had united Hyrule. Perhaps even before people settled in Hyrule. No one could really know for certain when the language was born.

One of the formerly inanimate objects walked over to him and swung its blade. Link dodged, rolled and slashed at the dummy's legs, but it responded with a well-timed block. The two engaged in about ten more minutes of the same sort of simple swordplay. This only stopped when Link found an opening in the defenses of his non-living opponent and decapitated it with a flourish. The soldiers stared on at their general, the fine line of sweat on his brow, doing little more than adding a bit of a shining glow to the Hylian's forehead. He smiled and let two words out of his mouth: "Your turn."

_

Zelda was finally able to relax, but she had bigger things on her mind. Things that had to be completed before the special day came. Things that she needed for the big day. She figured that the theme colors would be green and blue, both of their favorite colors. She was satisfied with the tones of each that she'd chosen and was certain that the tones would please Link, too. All in all, things were going well, but there was more she needed to accomplish. She needed to have a ring forged for Link. She knew he would get her the best he could, so she decided to do nothing less than her best. She left the castle, on her way out telling her father where she was going.

The blacksmith, Mr. Hermington, normally didn't forge rings, but since Zelda explained her situation to him, he decided that for the extra bit of cash, he could do so. Zelda was left getting the emerald that she wanted to have integrated with the ring. She thanked Mr. Hermington and went to the gem cave that she and Link had spent some time in together before. Neither knew why there was such a wide diversity of gems in the cave, but they both agreed to tell no one about it- once they did, they would no longer be able to go there to admire the cavern's beauty. They had deemed it the Sparkling Cavern for it's dazzling beauty. Zelda used her own ocarina to play Epona's Song, a nice piece that Link had taught her not too long ago. She knew that Epona would come running to her and that Link wouldn't mind if she borrowed the mare for a little while.

When Zelda finally arrived at the Sparkling Cavern, she entered the gray stone cave, leaving Epona outside to graze. The horse had probably had a certain amount of difficulty escaping from her quarters in the stables, though Zelda wasn't entirely concerned. She eventually found the stone that fit her expectations. It was a deep green, shone brightly, and had a character all its own. It seemed to Zelda that it was a wild and free gem- wild and free like her husband-to-be. It gave her a feeling of finality. This was the gem she desired for Link's wedding ring. He'd be so happy. But material items weren't exactly what he enjoyed. Link was more about people, always had been, if truth were to be told. Zelda knew this, but also knew that Link would like the ring just for the simple reason that _she'd_given it to him. Link was a simple man. That was why she was able to love him so. The other suitors that her father had suggested before meeting the virtuous warrior would have given her a considerable amount of material items, but personal time together would have been in short supply, hence she had turned the others down. She had thought they were more than a little stuck up anyway. She put the gem in the saddlebag that Epona bore and gracefully mounted the horse and rode back to the blacksmith's shop.

Mr. Hermington was ready for her, having completed his other duties for the other patrons. Zelda delivered the emerald and described the design she wanted. Mr. Hermington nodded and set to work, telling her that she would have to pick it up tomorrow. The ring would take a while to make and then cool. Zelda complied and took her place in Epona's saddle and rode her to the stables where she petted the mare and gave her some new hay and a few apples. Zelda walked back to her room, from which she began planning further. She was just starting the invitations when there was a knock on her door. She giggled and went to the door with half an idea of who it was.

"Hi, Link." She smiled and gave him a hug.

Breaking away, he said, "Hey, Zel. I thought maybe you'd like an escort to dinner." He smirked, then winked, knowing her answer already.

"Never thought you'd ask," she teased him.

"Somehow, I knew you'd say something like that." Link's smile grew and he suddenly wondered what he'd do without her. He'd grown so accustomed to her company that he'd never be able to take a day without her. And that was the biggest reason why he was getting married to her.

_

After dinner, the two playfully discussed whatever topics came up. Eventually Zelda mentioned the approaching holiday, Valentine's Day. "Link," she asked, "have you ever been alone on a Valentine's Day?"

"Yes. Loads of times. Back in the Kokiri Forest-" He was cut off by Zelda.

"No. I mean completely alone."

Link thought for a second. "I know what it's like."

"Link, I get the feeling that no one _really_ knows what it's like. I was just wondering."

"Well. It doesn't seem like we'll have to worry about that." Link smiled, putting his arm around her shoulder.

_______________________________________________________________________

Okay, I made up the two words Link says in ancient Hylian. If you REALLY wanna know what they mean, you can refer to Link.

Link: Sure... Have 'em refer to me. The phrase means "Attack, crapheads."

Me: *dies of laughter*

Link: You owe me BIG TIME! *uses a fairy on me*

Me: *revives* Thanks! Here're your Rupees!

Link: AWESOME!

Me: Can I hear you say that again?

Link: What? "Attack, crapheads"?

Me: *rofls*

I know that the first AN is a little late, but I can still do it if you want. ;) Reviews are awesome. There was a nice amount of foreshadowing here... that and it ties in with the song a little... *hint hint* In any case, I hope this has been enjoyable. Oh, yeah, I came up with Mr. Hermington's name by myself... as I did with the other OC names... the hint being any names you aren't familiar with. The Sparkling Cavern is an example. :) Um... review now? Hmmm... Awkward, this is.

Yoda: Kill you I will if mimic me again, you do.

Me: O.o Okay.

Link: You just got schooled!


	7. Chapter 7 Wedding Part 1

This was started WAY before the time and it fits in beautifully with the tragic part that I already have written. :) I'm very pleased with this chapter so far. Oh, Link, you're too nice for your own good! XD Well... *goes off to watch Jurassic Park 3 for the millionth time* Oh, that gives me an idea for a fic! :D

* * *

Chapter 7 The Wedding

Link's heart was racing as fast as Epona's hooves. He _knew _he had more Rupees than that. KNEW. But for some reason, they were gone, vanished without a trace. It was laughable, really to think that the Hero of Time was dead broke out of his mind when he had been living at the castle for so long and hence had had no need to purchase food, drink, or anything else that was necessary for day to day life. Sure, he'd bought Zelda a few wedding gifts in between, but he thought he had had enough left to buy her ring. Then he thought about how he'd given some of his Rupees to the servants. He didn't regret doing so. They needed it more than he did. He could just work off Mr. Hermington's bill. Of course, he'd have to go get the gems he required from the Sparkling Cavern. _Zelda always did like sapphires_, Link thought as he made his way toward the cavern. He was glad that Zelda had decided to take over his job training the soldiers. She was a natural warrior. She had to be. Link had taught her everything he knew. Link could only imagine why she had offered to do it for him. Maybe her democratic stuff had gotten too boring for her... or she wanted to teach the men to respect her as the fighter she was. _If Zelda's gonna do that... she's gonna _FIGHT AT OUR SIDE? Link's stomach twisted at the thought. Oh, if he lost her, he'd never be the same. He couldn't live without her.

The cavern yawned before him as he called Epona to a halt. "Good girl." Link gave the horse a carrot for her trouble and walked into the cavern to choose the gems he desired for Zelda's ring. He found a wonderfully clear, unscathed diamond and a nicely shaped sapphire that made him smile in anticipation of Zelda's reaction. He tucked them gently into his tunic so that he wouldn't lose them and walked outside to mount Epona and ride off to Mr. Hermington's where he would explain his predicament. Hopefully he would be able to work out a payment plan with the blacksmith. He seemed like a nice man to Link and that made him reasonable in Link's eyes. The Hylian arrived at the blacksmith's shop with a few butterflies in the pit of his stomach, mainly due to his uncertainty about what Mr. Hermington would say. He took a deep breath and the butterflies calmed as he walked into the half-open shack that housed Mr. Hemington's fire. The blacksmith was filling a suspiciously ring-like mold with molten metal when Link knocked on the wooden support column.

"Yes. Give me a minute, please." From the tone of his voice, Link could tell that Mr. Hermington was hiding something from him. Link was used to people knowing him before he knew who they were-it was part of being a hero. Fame just followed him everywhere he went. He didn't care that Mr. Hermington was probably making his ring and he could sneak a peek at it. He was going to be mature and keep to himself because that was what a hero would do. He didn't normally think about things in that manner, but around Mr. Hermington, Link felt odd and formal, as if he were talking to the King of Hyrule. He waited patiently and eventually, Mr. Hermington set the mold aside and beckoned him in.

"Thanks, Mr. Hermington," Link replied to the blacksmith's urging to sit down on the stump across the anvil from him. "I would like a wedding ring for Zelda. I've got the gems right here."

"Nice. Good quality, too." Mr. Hermington stopped turning the jewels over in his hands. "I assume you want a ring of a quality that will accentuate the beauty and show the unity between you two. My price is a thousand Rupees. It's not that cheap, but it's cheaper than any other blacksmith around here. Business has been good, so it's alright for me to keep the prices low."

"Um, that's just it, Mr. Hermington. I haven't got any money... at least not enough."

"I see. Well, with all of the orders I'm receiving, I could give you a job here until you've worked long enough for the bill to be paid."

"How long? I have to train some soldiers for the Princess, too, so if you could give me an estimate..."

"I'd say the normal payment you'd receive would be five Rupees an hour, so divide a thousand by five..."

"Two hundred hours." Link bit his lip. "Are you sure only five Rupees an hour? That doesn't seem like much, not to sound ungrateful, sir."

Mr. Hermington chuckled. "You ne'er did, my boy. Perhaps I could cut you some slack. Ten Rupees an hour."

"A hundred hours... Not terrible."

"Unless you'd prefer twenty an hour."

"Fifty hours." Link responded. "That'll do. Thank you so much. I'll be in tomorrow at... seven?"

"In the morning?"

"At night." Link winked and the blacksmith smiled back. "Thanks again."

"No problem, thank you for being so kind as to choose me."

Link smiled. "It was instinct."

Mr. Hermington laughed as Link departed.

The young warrior whistled softly as he mounted Epona and was on his way. Link returned to the castle and entered the courtyard to see that Zelda was talking to the men. He stopped in the doorway, to tell the soldiers that he was watching and they needed to stay in line for Zelda the same way they did for him. Zelda didn't know that he was watching her give her speech, so she continued accordingly. "I will be riding into battle with you, so there is no denying the respect you will have for me. General Link and I are going to be your commanding officers. You will take my orders as if they are his. Obey them. Honor them. And you will be heroes."

Link cleared his throat. "Oh, hey there, Link!" Zelda said, an expression of innocence crossing and holding its position on her face. "I was just telling the boys that they did a good job and they shouldn't go too hard on you."

"I heard what you said, Zel. You aren't gonna fight in the war."

"I can and I AM!" Zelda's face became the home of a determined expression. "You taught me swordplay for a reason. What's the use in having a talent if you don't use it? You said yourself that we need all of the soldiers we can get."

"Zel, we can discuss this later. Thanks for taking care of things while I was gone, but I'll take it from here, okay?"

"Fine." Zelda put on a skeptical expression and walked through the door to the castle.

"A little trouble with the girlfriend?" Ras Deragn always had had a sense of humor that incorporated the most recent embarrassing events even when he was at the receiving end. It was just his way of letting people know that he understood how they felt and sympathized with them.

"No kidding, Ras. Are you ladies ready, or are you too busy mending your uniforms?" Link teased.

The soldiers smiled and nodded, knowing that their general was merely playing with them and didn't think of them as women. They'd done too much for him to think of them as the people who were commonly in charge of housework and not topics of war. Perhaps it was time for the stereotypes of old to be broken, but it wasn't going to be an easy task. Women would have to follow their men for too long, eventually breaking the chains of tradition.

At the moment, Link's thoughts were more focused on getting the men prepared for battle situations. He ordered the dummies to attack and stepped aside to observe the mayhem and command the troops based on their own personal fights.

*

A long while after, Link was done training the soldiers for the day and had finished dinner. He bid Zelda farewell, took Epona from the stable, mounted her, and rode off to Mr. Hermington's shop.

"Right on time, Link." Mr. Hermington smiled brightly. "We'll get you set up with Smitty's order. He wants a sword with a few ornamental designs on it. Think you can handle it?"

"If you tell me how to do it, I can put substance into the idea." Link smiled and nodded.

"Alright then." Mr. Hermington went on to explain the details involved in making the most basic sword and then adding the additional figures. Link listened attentively, soaking in every last detail. He didn't want to mess up the requests because the people that ordered items from Mr. Hermington were, in effect, paying his bill for him. The youthful warrior went through the instructions in his head after the blacksmith had finished his tutorial and then started working on the sword.

*

A sufficient time later, Link was holding a newly crafted sword with ornamental reliefs and carvings all up and down the hilt and minuscule carvings on the portion of the blade nearest to the hilt. He started swinging it around to test the weight and feel of the sword. He chopped through some slabs of cuccoo meat that the blacksmith had set out for something. It met his approval and performed beyond it. He cleaned the sword with the cloth he'd used to clean the Master Sword after a day of laying waste to enemies.

When Link presented the clean sword to Mr. Hermington, the blacksmith flashed a magnificent smile. "Beautiful work, Link. You did better than any other first-timer I've trained... though they all moved out of the general area and went to Zora's Domain and Goron City, hence why I'm here alone." He swung it around in a controlled manner, testing what Link had tested. "It cuts through the air quite smoothly. I only have one question: What happened to the cuccoo breasts I had sitting out over there?"

"Well, I had to test it on something, sir."

Mr. Hermington chuckled. "Those were for later on tonight. After a while, I thought you might get hungry."

"You think of everything, sir." Link smiled warmly. "But, I think I need to work. I'm not here to stuff my face while you do my job for me."

"It takes a real man to stick to his mission like that. I respect that. But is it so bad if I take a break with you?" Mr. Hermington said pointedly.

"I guess not." Link looked to the fire he'd used to forge the sword. "But I think we need to get more projects behind us first."

"I respect that."

*

Later on that night, Link finished his nights' work and returned to the castle to get some sleep. He regretted his glance at the clock before jumping into bed. It was one o'clock. When he'd been on his quest to save Hyrule, he had gone at least a week without any real rest, so enthusiastic he was about saving his princess, but in the years afterwards, he had grown used to getting a good night's sleep. He hoped desperately that he wouldn't be too tired the next day to train the troops.

* * *

Don't tell me that this is short. It's over two thousand words long and I know, this has hardly anything to do with the actual wedding. Don't complain about it, 'cauz it's a two-parter. I admit that I don't know the technical steps behind making a sword. So what? I was too lazy to do research... that and I didn't really get much sleep this whole vacation thing. Bleah. Please excuse the grumpy tone of the AN, but I'm not really in the shape to do much more than ask for a review... on that note... Please review!

Link: That was WIMPY!

Me: Shut up! My cousin's baby was over and I need some rest!

Link: She didn't even cry at night!

Me: But she was up at 7 in the morning.

Link: Not her fault you stayed up 'til midnight for the past four nights!

Me: Crap. You little... *takes a deep breath and tilts head back against the couch and starts snoring*

Link: *takes over typing* Sorry she's like this... It could just be that time--

Sam: Link, that's just gross!

Link: Heh heh heh... Well she downloaded songs and crap... sounds... things that I said... that I don't really remember saying! And there's this thing that sounds like I'm in love... *pokes the iPod and plays at the "song" I called G'night*

Sam: O.o WOW! That's stalkerish...

Link: *moans* I know.

Han: Hey! I know where she got that! Link fans, eat your hearts out! The link will be listed when I get a chance to grab the laptop!

Sam and Link: *look at each other* He wouldn't.

Han: *gives the link* http ://no problo ./Zelda Sounds/ It's from Brawl and it's Sleepy Link. And for the record... I did NOT give that to you. [The spaces are there so FanFiction wouldn't eat it.]

Link: I HATE YOU SO MUCH!

Han: I get that a lot.


	8. Chapter 8 Wedding Part 2

Okay, guys! It's that time of month again!

Link: O.o WHAT THE MONKEY?!?

Me: NO, YOU PSYCHO!!! TIME FOR VALENTINE'S DAY'S UPDATE!!!!

Link: Well, why didn't ya say so?!?

Me: Um... I would have if you hadn't broken in with your dirty-minded-ness!

Link: *sweatdrop* Heh heh... My bad! As you were.

Me: This is my little break from my three-shot Christmas fic's sequel. Enjoy!

Link: You need a break from that ALREADY?!?

Me: Long story, bud... It's a LONG story!

Link: It's ONE chapter... oh... the story about why you need a break... I see...

Me: *sighs* Starrgrl is gonna kill me.

* * *

Chapter 8 The Wedding Part 2

After many days of repeated work at Mr. Hermington's shop, Link had finally paid off the bill for Zelda's ring. He was grateful for a number of reasons, the foremost being that he'd be able to get some sleep, and the one following that closely was that he had a ring as beautiful as Zelda for their big day. He couldn't help but whistle as he went out to rejoin the soldiers. Even as tired as he was, he was ready to face whatever shenanigans awaited him. It was odd how one thing could set everything straight, essentially erase it from the mind of the Hylian general, but that was how his mind worked and Link had no qualms about it, in fact he enjoyed the mental liberty.

Then he saw Zelda standing in front of the soldiers in a white dress that reminded him of one thing: he'd forgotten that today was the wedding rehearsal and that all of the soldiers would be invited for their service to the royal family of Hyrule. Link had no problem with that. The soldiers were like family and since he'd never really had a family of his own, he welcomed their presence, as anyone who had never experienced a warm embrace would welcome the comforts of a hug. Having the soldiers there for the rehearsal was just a nice way of thanking them for their services in addition to preparing them for the event.

"Hey, hon," Zelda said. "I think you forgot something."

"Me? Forget? Nah," Link said, putting an expression of innocence on his face that had the soldiers snickering.

"Then where's your suit." More snickering could be heard.

"I left it in my other tunic."

"What?!?" Zelda was unprepared for that.

"Yeah. My other tunic. Do I _have_ to wear a suit, anyway? This is _just_ a _rehearsal_, so a suit isn't _really_ necessary, _is it_?" Link pleaded, drawing more half-hearted laughter from the assembled men.

"I thought you'd forget, so I took the liberty of getting it brought down here for you."

"Oh, thanks," Link said, yawning. He _really _needed to get more sleep before the big day.

Of course, the soldiers cracked smiles at that, if they weren't smiling already. Zelda laughed and handed him the suit she'd had tailored for him on the sly. Knowing that he liked loose-fitting clothes, she had had the tailor cut the suit a little big for him. "Just go put this on."

Link sighed, resigned to his fate as Ras Deragn spoke up. "Gettin' spiffy for the missus, are we?"

"She's not the 'missus' yet, Ras," Link retorted. "That, my friend is why we're here today... _Rehearsing_," Link sent a pointed glance Zelda's way and she just deflected it with a smile.

In a few moments, Link had the suit on and was standing uncomfortably in it with Zelda at his side and a priest in front of him stating the vows in a repeat-after-me manner that was the way things went for weddings for as long as anyone could remember.

*

_A few days later:_

Link and Zelda, as rehearsed, were in front of a priest and almost everyone in the kingdom of Hyrule, stating the vows that bound them together for better and worse. And just like before, Link was _terribly _uncomfortable in the suit. Perhaps it was just the feel of the fabric, or maybe even the foreign style it was tailored with, so different from the style of the tunics he'd worn since his birth.

And at last, the two word vow came. "I do," both responded to the priest's inquiry.

The religious leader smiled as he proclaimed the last, "And you may now kiss the bride." Link nearly took Zelda off her feet as he pulled her close in a kiss that had the audience cheering, crying, and clapping, somehow all at once. Ras Deragn had never experienced a more happy moment than witnessing the wedding of his general. He himself had no wife, no children to pass on his legacy, and he hoped that some day, the two before him would have a child to call their own. They would make wonderful parents. Both were quite patient and had a side that wasn't too far from the childish thought patterns.

When the reception started, the guests and the newly-weds spent a good amount of time dancing on the improvised dance floor and helping themselves to the food set up on a series of buffet tables. Link and Zelda talked and joked with the guests, even played a prank or two on their friends. All in all, it was a very joyous occasion. But little did the guests know of what Kaepora Gaebora saw: dark clouds gathering over the farthest reaches of the kingdom of Hyrule. The attack would come soon. But of course, no one had knowledge of it, even though they were prepared to defend against it.

* * *

Okay... short chappy, I know, but gimme a break... I was typing other stuff... and... okay, fine! I have NO excuse for the short chappy!

Link: Hence why Starrgrl is gonna kill her...

Me: But... I'm just SIXTEEN!! I wanna at least live to the nice age of FORTY-FIVE!!!

Link: *sighs* Why forty-five?

Me: 'Cauz that's when they stop sending you crap about proms and garbage!

Link: You've lost it... you've REALLY lost it this time.

Me: I guess it's the time getting to me... GOSH! 11:52 Central time? Nuts... Well, this is up just in time... It's not officially tomorrow, yet Starrgrl... Looks like you owe me an update! HA HA HA HA HA!!!!!

Link: And there's her motive for the short chapter... procrastination and promise of a reward.

Me: HEY!

Link: XD


	9. Chapter 9 Plans

\It's the magical time of update-y-ness! WHEEE!!

Link: SHE HAD SUGAR THIS MORNING! D: AND **_YOU _**THINK IT'S BAD!!! DX You don't have to deal with it 24/7!

Haninator: INPROPER FRACTION!!! MUST FIX!!!

Link: AND she just did her math homework! DX

Haninator: What does that have to do with anything?!?

Link: Um... I dunno...

Blue (the Yoshi whose update is next in Yoshis: The New Guy): YOU NEED TO STINKIN' TYPE SO YOU CAN UPDATE MY FIC! :|

Haninator: Oh, yeah... Starrgrl's gonna kill me a few times over... crap... well... there go my dreams of being an insane sugar-high author. I hope you're happy!

Blue: She hasn't killed you yet.

Haninator: DON'T REMIND HER!!! Crap... Well, this was a fail... um... Link... tell my parents and sis that I love 'em... and tell Mr. Rose that I'm sorry that I didn't get to go on that camping trip. And tell my teachers that they all were awesome. And... this is the most important one... take up my fics where I left off. I'm going to go meet my fate now. :\

Link: But... don't we get one more chappy? *gives me the puppy dog face with slightly glassy eyes*

Haninator: Ask Starrgrl. At this point, we are all at her mercy. Let's hope she had a good day at school...

Starrgrl: -_- When you put it like that... go for it.

Haninator: YAY! *hugs Starrgrl*

Starrgrl: :3 *thinks* I should do this more often...

* * *

Disclaimer: (Did I even do this for this fic?!?) I don't own ANY of the characters... except Ras Deragn, Mr. Hermington, and some of the random other names in there... that Zelda mentioned... they're just names at this point... XD

* * *

Chapter 9 Plans

A month had passed since Link and Zelda were married. The protrait that they had had painted by the finest artist in all of Hyrule hung over the throne of the king. The king was quite proud of his daughter's choice in suitors because, of course, Link was a warrior strong enough to take out even the most difficult of enemies. It would be easy for him to protect her. In short, the king didn't have a single worry surrounding how the young couple would turn out. He did have his moments when he had to wonder about his son-in-law, but over the month that they were married, he had come to accept every facet of Link and even bestowed upon him the endearment "son." It was a new experience for Link after growing up without a father, but he enjoyed it deeply. He even started calling the king his "father," turning the endearment back on his father-in-law. Zelda found the whole arrangement to be something slightly amusing and if possible, it made her love Link even more.

The soldiers were so well-trained that they would stop what they were doing at the pin drop of a command. But, everyone was slightly on edge. Kaepora Gaebora saw the clouds darkening and spreading like a virus of darkness seeping through the healthy flesh of Hyrule. It quickly got to the point that Link started having even more intense dreams. Zelda would wake up in the middle of the night to him squirming in his sleep, yelling for it to stop, for her to come back. It scared her terribly. When she put her hand on his shoulder, he would start awake and ask her if she was okay. She was never able to shake the feeling that there was something wrong, that something would inevitably blow up in their faces. It almost always was impossible for her to sleep after such instances and a few times, Link stayed up with her all night, even though he had to keep drilling the soldiers the next day. In truth, it worried Link, too, but he hid it rather well in order to keep her safe from his fears.

Eventually, the couple's minds would shift to lighter topics, on days that Link hadn't been affected by the tortures of his own mind. The beginning of the lighter moments after Link started having nightmares was spurred by the king's decree that there would be a ball-- on Valentine's Day. Of course, being a warrior, Link predictably had no idea how to dance, let alone waltz, which was a defining factor of the royal balls. No matter what sort of theme the dance had, there was _always_ a waltz played, as per the king's orders.

"No, Link!" Zelda laughed. The two were practicing in the courtyard where later in the day Link would run through more spontaneous drills with the soldiers. "It's your right foot first!" She giggled.

"Right foot, eh? _That_explains it! Aw, Zel, face it. I ain't gonna be ready for the ball." He smiled sheepishly.

"You didn't give up when you taught me how to use a bow and a sword! Even when I _wanted_ to, you _didn't _let up. What makes you think _I'll_ let up on _you_?"

"Um... discouragement?" Link asked. "Zel, I'm not cut out for this sort of thing. I can fight like no other, but when it comes to _dancing_ I'm as good as a _Like Like_!"

"You're better than a Like Like. You just have to apply yourself. You didn't become a swordsman in a single day."

"Wanna bet?"

"I'm sorry I asked. Let's try it again, Link."

"Fine."

It took him a few days to finally get it right, but once he did, he was a natural. "Link, you're perfect."

"Zel, I'm _not_ perfect. Not in any way. Don't pretend that I am. I have my faults. I think love may have blinded you to them."

"You're too critical of yourself. One of these days, it'll be your undoing, Link. Don't be so quick to find fault with yourself. C'mon. Let's just dance."

"Okay, Zel," Link said, cracking a slight smile and conceding.

*

The couple took a small break in the courtyard meadow where they had first met when all of a sudden, Zelda decided to break some news to Link.

"Link, you're going to take me into battle."

"Zelda, are you _kidding_?!?"

"No. It's per my father's orders." She looked triumphant.

"Excuse me for a moment."

He was certain he heard a whispered comment about "men" and their peculiarities.

Link couldn't believe it, so he ran to the king's throne room, an act that would be lethal for anyone outside of the royal family to perform. "Your Highness?"

"Yes?"

"Did you authorize an order for me to take Zelda into bettle?"

"Yes. She asked it, and I thought it would be appropriate. Besides, you are skilled enough to keep her out of the danger zone."

"I admire your faith in me, Sir, but I think it would be best for all parties involved to keep her out of this. She's not a warrior. And besides, I've had some nightmares... I don't think we should let her fight against Ganondorf."

"I _order_ you to take her into battle!" the king roared.

"Yessir," Link said, bowing his head and putting his hand over his heart in a salute to his king. He then got up and returned to his wife and the meadow where they had been talking and resumed his conversation. Even though he had his misgivings, and nightmares to back them up, he had to swallow them all and obey the orders of those higher up in power than he was.

*

Later that day, Ganondorf's troops marched on the castle. He was there before the sentries could get a message out effectively. He didn't have to.

Link already knew that Ganondorf was coming. The Triforce of Courage within him was resonating, signalling that the pieces wanted to be whole again. It was a feeling he'd never forget, never since he'd locked his nemesis in the Evil Realm. Ganondorf had initially pointed it out to him and now, he came to see the feeling as a painful curse ripping at the flesh behind his heart. "Soldiers, mobilize!" He yelled as he slammed on the door to the soldier's quarters. Few answered his call, but as soon as the sentry's bugling was heard, more joined the group folowing Link as he ran out to the draw bridge. As soon as they made it across the bridge, the operator closed it in order to keep any invaders out where they could do no harm to the king. Link, Zelda, and their men attacked the forces of darkness with iron-clad resolve, ripping into Lizalfos, Dinalfos, Iron Knuckles, and other monsters that undoubtedly served the King of Evil, but among the ranks, there were also a few men, whose will could be bought and sold. The mercenaries broke off soon enough, thinning Ganondorf's army hardly substancially. The king's soldiers were fairly resilient at the beginning, but the tables quickly began to turn. Link realized that the only way to make headway against them was to take out their general and coordinator. He searched the darkness of the clouded day for Ganondorf and found him among the flood of evil soldiers looking smug at his sudden advantage. Link purposely yelled at him as he trotted over to the orange-haired monster of a man.

* * *

I seriously AM going camping, so there won't really be updates for this... or anything else over the weekend... SHOCKER! Um... yeah... I'm gonna silently drift away here...

Link: Oh, SURE! Leave me here to take over for you! HOW COME I ALWAYS GET THE RAW END OF THE DEAL?!?

Haninator (from somewhere far away): Does Linky want a hug?

Link: Maybe... YES!!!!

Haninator: *giggles* Okay, c'mere! *runs toward him and glomps him*

Link: HOLY CRAP! *falls over backwards*

Haninator: Maybe I shouldda just given you a nice _normal_ hug...

Link: Afterthought... a strange thing... can you please get off?

Haninator: You like it... XD Okay. *complies* Oh... apparently... the United States is the second most sinful country... XD Which deadly sin is our downfall as a nation? If you get it right, then you get a free cookie... the irony is so SWEET... XD

Link: As you have toast and coffee.

Haninator: Hey, man, my gym teacher is goin' all "YOU WILL HAVE BREAKFAST THIS WEEK!" on us all... XD It-- *BAD ROMANCE STARTS PLAYING ON THE TV* NOO!! GAWSH MAKE IT STOP! *political ad comes on and she takes a deep breath*

Link: Well, that's a first...

Haninator: Well GAGA is CRAP! :| Um... now where was I?

Link: Your gym teacher's breakfast challenge.

Haninator: Right! Um... yeah. Well... she's goin' crazy... DX In any case, I gotta go pack... BYES!

Link: Oh, yeah... me too...


	10. Chapter 10 Permanent Separation

Um... as far as the camping thing goes... um... that was FAIL! 'Twas canceled... we didn't have time to plan what we were gonna eat/bring for the trip... club leader had to go to a funeral Thursday... when the meeting was scheduled... so... yeah...

This is the depressing chapter of Valentine's Day, so you can't say I didn't warn ya!

* * *

10 Permanent Separation

The Hero of Time and the King of Evil exchanged insults for a few seconds as they approached each other, which eventually were backed by the cold steel of blades. Link stared hard into the eyes of his adversary. His soldiers were losing miserably and it made his heart bleed when he saw a few impaled by their opponents. He'd trained them as hard as possible. _Not hard enough. I shouldn't have taken that day off with Zelda or that day for the wedding. Maybe those two more days would've given them the skills to cope, _Link lamented, but it was too late. He knew if he dwelt on the past, there wouldn't be room in his heart for the future, for Zelda, now his lovely wife. Link couldn't believe that the king had ordered him to take her despite the dreams he kept having. It reminded him so much of his experience before he found the Ocarina of Time, or more accurately, Zelda gave it to him. The king hadn't believed Zelda, his own DAUGHTER then, so what made him think that the ruler would believe her husband? Perhaps it was Link's desire to see the good in people. It was only Ganondorf who Link could find no visible good in. He looked as deeply as possible and still missed it. Ganondorf was rotten to the core.

As he faced off with his nemesis, he saw a flash out of the corner of his eye. Zelda was fighting, swinging a sword around as expertly as Link himself. The Hylian smiled, focusing on Ganondorf's sword arm as his grin became feral.

Ganondorf laughed, "So, boy, what does it feel like to be outdone by your girlfriend?" The King of Evil chuckled again and placed a smug smirk on his face.

"I wouldn't know," Link jested.

"Then what is she to you?"

"A friend and fellow warrior."

"Don't try to lie to me, boy!" Ganondorf yelled. "I see the ring on your finger as plain as day! You'd have to be blind to not notice it."

"Coming from you, I suppose I should take that as a compliment," Link raised the Master Sword in a defensive position across his body. "Let's see if you've improved lately."

"You'll find that I have." Ganondorf lunged, using the Triforce of Power and his size to his advantage. The blades clashed. Ganondorf became visibly disappointed. _A one-hit kill would've been quite pleasing. It looks like I might have to actually break a sweat while killing someone. How long has it been since I had to do that? How long has it been since I had an opponent as worthy as Link?_

Link leaned against his blade, somehow defying all odds and holding Ganondorf's blade back, but wasn't able to push it into his neck and decapitate him. The two combatants, seeing that there was absolutely no point to the strength test (they'd be standing there all day), disengaged. Link with a back-flip, while Ganondorf just stepped back. While Link was in the air, Ganondorf took a slash at him, which met the Master Sword. _I wish I could have sliced him in half. It would be so wonderful to see his blood on my sword and watch it spill on the ground. The color and smell of fresh blood amuse me._All of it passed through Ganondorf's mind in bare seconds. Before Link could land, his foot shot out, hitting the Hylian in the chest and again in the gut. Link doubled over as Zelda glanced over to him.

"LINK!!!" she cried in alarm. Link could only manage a moan. The wind had been knocked from him. Ganondorf smiled triumphantly as his sword shot out to impale the Hylian's head. Zelda used Farore's Wind to put herself in the way of the King of Evil's blade. Impaled slightly below her chest, Zelda let out a muted grunt as a small stream of blood leaked from her mouth.

"ZELDA!!!" Link yelled, anger penetrating his mind even as the word of concern left him. He didn't know where he got the air to yell her name, didn't even know what he was doing until he was flying for Ganondorf's head. The King of Evil kicked the 20-year-old girl from his sword and stared at her as she lay on the ground, seeing the ring on her finger that was a perfect match for Link's.

"You're mar-" he was cut off by the Master Sword plunging through his scalp and into his skull, into the deranged brain within. Link wore an expression of true hatred, his eyes flashing with an inner fire as he pulled the sword from Ganondorf's head and stabbed into it again in a different spot. Soon enough, the top of Ganondorf's head looked like it had been completely blown off. Link didn't know when the King of Evil finally fell to the ground, nor when his army broke off. Without a leader, they were terribly uncoordinated and no match for Link's men.

Link didn't care about the battle anymore. He reached over to his wife and pulled her into his lap, cradling her head in his arms. "Zel?" he asked hoping that she'd make it, praying that she'd make it.

"Link?" she asked. His heart broke. With that one word, he knew that she wouldn't survive. He fought back tears. If she had to ask him if it was him, odds were that her senses were already dimming.

"Hey, honey. Everything's gonna be okay." He knew he was lying to her and it broke his heart into smaller pieces.

"Oh, Link… I know it will be. Ganondorf's gone, right?" Her voice was calm, gentle, with a little bit of a gurgling sound. Link knew something vital must've been hit, a lung probably.

"Yes. He's gone. I killed him." Link's voice became strong and angry.

"Are you… okay?"

"I-I'm fine," Link said, knowing it wasn't true. He'd never killed out of anger before and he didn't like the feeling, but now he had to focus on the life in front of him.

"That's good." The words came out like a sigh.

"Zel, you know I love ya, right, babe?" Link asked, his voice cracking with grief.

"Yeah. I have… something… to tell you. I'm-"Zelda coughed up a massive quantity of blood.

"Zel, don't leave me," Link said, sure that a tear was slipping from his eye, but not daring to take his attention from his princess. "Hang in there, sweetheart," he pleaded.

"I love… you, too." Zelda said. Link gave her a kiss on the lips, a gentle kiss of farewell. She was gone before he lifted his head. He looked up at the sky and noticed that the clouds that had gathered before the battle were black and a wind howled across the plains. Link's troops were jumping in joy for their victory, but Link himself felt no reason to celebrate. The king's daughter was dead and it was his job to protect her as a husband. All the rage at Ganondorf and the grief inside him compounded into a ball and he felt he had to do something, but could do nothing. The helplessness, when added to the other emotions was too much for him to take and he loosed a loud scream of agony that echoed across the land. Only then did he let the tears fall as he rocked her corpse back and forth, as if the motion would bring her back. Nothing he did could bring her back. Then he realized that it was ultimately his fault that she'd died. If he hadn't been kicked, she wouldn't have teleported in front of him. The realization made his tears even bitterer. It felt like his heart had been ripped out of him and was being burned before him. Zelda was gone. He was alone in the world.

_My insides all turned to ash_

_So slow_

_And blew away as I collapse_

_So cold_

_A black wind took them away_

_From sight_

The wind whipped at Link and he knew he'd have to tell the king of their loss.

*

At her funeral, Link kept his eyes on the ground. He'd told the king everything.

_"Your Majesty, I have some extremely disturbing news."_

_"Where's my daughter?" the king was furious._

_"I'll get her for you." Link knew the pain in his voice must have alerted the king that something was wrong, but he couldn't control it. The pain manifested itself whenever possible. Link returned carrying Zelda's prone form._

_"WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY DAUGHTER?!?"_

_"Your Highness, Sir, I was fighting Ganondorf and well, he got me in a position where he could've delivered the killing blow. Zelda teleported in between us and was impaled." A single tear rolled down Link's cheek. "She died a hero, Sir."_

_The king was speechless. "Get out of my sight, _peasant_."_

The words scorched Link even in memory. He had set Zelda down gently in front of the king and left. He felt like he didn't belong at the funeral, but it was what Zelda would've wanted. The priest walked in and began to talk about the departed princess. He gave scriptures to try to help comfort her loved ones. Link had to wipe his eyes on the black tunic he'd worn. The scriptures did precious little to comfort Link and more to emphasize that his wife was forever gone. When no one was looking, he had placed his wedding ring on her other hand. It would make him lose his mind just to look at the gold band with a sparkling emerald stripe after she died. He had given her the best he could, a gold ring with a diamond and sapphire side by side, though it had taken him forever to work off the bill. He'd only had half as many Rupees as were required. He didn't care that it had taken a lot of heart-ache to get her something nice. And here he was, struggling to keep all his grief and anger at himself contained. It was only two days after her death and he was already falling apart. Then, finally the priest was done and the funeral procession took the casket, sealed it, and loaded it into a decorated wagon. Link helped carry it to the wagon and unloaded it when they reached her grave.

"Goodbye, Sweetheart," he said, leaning into the hole to place it in.

Link turned away as they shoveled dirt into the hole. The king stood stoically next to a select few servants and Impa. The world was suddenly a foreboding place and Link felt very cold even though there was hardly any wind.

_And the clouds above move closer_

_Looking so dissatisfied_

_And the ground below grew colder _

_As they put you down inside_

_But the heartless wind kept blowing, blowing_

Link felt the wind pick up as Impa walked over to him. "Zelda had a secret she was going to tell you, but I don't think she ever had the chance."

"What would that be?" Link asked, wiping a tear from his eye before it fell.

"She was carrying your baby."

_That _hit Link harder than a bolt of lightning. He stood there gawking for a moment. "I was going to be… a father?" he managed. So Zelda wasn't the only one he'd lost. New grief rose up and clogged his throat.

"Yes." Impa was so calm that Link envied her.

"Ganondorf killed my baby." It was too much. "I'll talk to you later," he mumbled, taking a step away from everyone. The next second, he was gone, on Epona's back riding for parts unknown.

Impa sent a pained look his way. She hoped that he wouldn't do anything stupid to destroy himself in his grief. It was bad enough that the people of Hyrule had lost their beloved princess. She returned to the castle with the king and his servants. Their business here was complete. The Sheikah knew that the king had to be stoic in front of everyone and that was why he had locked himself in his personal quarters for the past two days. As a matter of fact, she had to keep a stoic expression, too, though she felt as much grief as the king. When Zelda's mother had fallen ill and died, Impa had fulfilled that role for her. The king wasn't looking too good at the moment. Impa tried to ignore him. Hopefully Link would fare better than the king had during the first days without the princess, but it wasn't likely that he would.

* * *

All I have to say is: You shouldda seen this comin'. Um... yeah... for once... I don't have a funny AN. I guess It's 'cauz of the chappy tone... Dark and sad... Maybe I picked that up? Either that or it's my "sadistic side" (STARRGRL!) XD Um... well... reviews? Pwease? Reviews make me feel special!


	11. Chapter 11 Moving Forward

Yus, since Valentine's Day is here... I figure... it's time to get to the down and dirty sorrowful crap... ;) It's all good! :D I think this may be my most epic chapter for this fic... Poor Linky! :(

* * *

Chapter 12 Moving Forward

After a good deal of riding, Link reached the one place where he could be alone to deal with the loss of his wife. There was a single tree standing in the middle of Hyrule Field, far from any semblance of civilization. He dismounted Epona, said a few comforting words to her, and gave her neck a quick hug. The horse picked up on his feelings somehow, sensing that there was something final in it, as if he didn't plan on ever seeing her again. If she'd had the ability, she would have given Link a haunted expression, but even without that capability, Link caught that she knew what was going on and that she was aprehensive of him. "Go on," he said, giving her a pained look, tears forming in his eyes. He knew that he'd never see her again, like Zelda. But this time it wouldn't be because something happened to his friend. "Please, Epona," he pleaded when she was reluctant to go, "just get out of here. I don't want you to see me like this..." Then, he gave her a soft smack on the flank and she bolted for a little while, then turned and looked back. Link's already broken heart was dashed into smaller pieces and as soon as Epona left his viewing range, he let some tears stain his cheeks. He collapsed against the tree and his thoughts blurred into a deranged film of his time with Zelda.

*

Link closed his eyes against the world. He couldn't bear to view it. Not with Zelda taken from him when everything was going as well as possible. He leaned against the tree in Hyrule field that had been his only companion for a long time. He wasn't sure how long it had been, but he was sure it had been at least two days. He wasn't keeping track of time. There was only one thing on his mind-- the losses he'd suffered, what he'd done to himself because of it, not that he held any remorse for his actions. After all, what was the point in living if there was no love? Link put his head in his hands, massaging his temples with his fingertips. He'd imagined alternative situations, ways that Zelda wouldn't have had to take Ganondorf's blade, but there was nothing that he could have done differently to save her if getting kicked by his nemesis was a fixed variable. New tears welled up. He didn't care anymore. Not about anything. He didn't even have any regard for his own life. Before he realized it, he was in a deep sleep, dreaming unpleasant visions.

There was someone calling to him, worried, yelling _desperately_ for him to respond, getting nothing. It was odd, the Hero of Time had an out-of-body view of the entire thing. But that was when he felt the cold wave of death. He had no idea who had died until he saw a... shadowy figure... pummelling his body's cheeks viciously. Then Link understood. He was dead... And finally free.

*

Ras had never been so worried in his life. Link had run off after Zelda's funeral _two weeks_ ago and hadn't been seen since. Epona had returned to the stable, having nowhere else to go, but she seemed distraught, in a way that was almost humanistic. Ras was getting a _really_ bad feeling about what was going on. Acting on his instincts, he saddled his general's horse and let her lead him to her master.

When he reached Link, he was astounded by how his general was leaning on the tree almost as if he _needed_ the support of the natural wonder. The second surprise came when he saw Link asleep. Rather than looking peaceful, his thin face looked disturbed and utterly pained, the face of a heart attempting to hide a great loss and deep suffering. Even in sleep, the Hero of Time displayed the distortions of grief, giving Ras a sinking feeling in the pit of his belly. He did the first thing his instincts supplied and started smacking Link's cheeks. "C'mon, General... Don't leave us now!"

"What in the world, Ras?!?" Link asked in a voice raspy from lack of use and shortage of water. "I wasn't having a particularly nice dream, but did you _have _to do that?"

"General, whether or not you're willing to accept it, Hyrule still needs you. There are _bound _to be more threats later on and without a hero, Hyrule will fall. We need you."

"Ras, I can't go back there. I can't deal with people constantly reminding me of my loss. I don't want their sympathy. I just want things to go back to normal, but they can never _be _normal without Zel." Link swallowed and squeezed his eyes shut against an onslaught of tears.

"General, I know this is hard for you... more than hard for you, but you've got to come back. For Hyrule's sake. For your wife's memory."

"Ras, I can't. What part of that can't you understand?" Link looked up at the young man, eyes glassy with unshed tears.

"Look at yourself, general! Just _look_ and tell me what you see. I want to know if you think the same thing I do."

Link looked at his hand, which seemed to be normal, then his gaze traveled up to his arm. He had to pull back the white undershirt to see that his arm was unusually thin. Where there had been muscle, there was hardly anything except bone, thin muscle, and skin. He poked at it, astounded and alarmed by it, unsure of how this had happened to him, how he'd let it happen. He poked his thigh soon after. It was in roughly the same state and he looked up at Ras, bewildered. "Ganondorf must have cursed me before I killed him! Once again he took something he had no right to!"

"Link," the usage of his name made Link start. "You're starving. Ganondorf did _nothing_ to you to make this happen. You did it to yourself."

"I am? I did?" Link looked at his belly, even bothered to unbuckle his belt and lift up the mail and undershirt underneath his tunic. He instantly wished he hadn't looked and dropped the clothing to its previous position and tightened his belt. Link hadn't noticed that the view of his middle had alarmed Ras terribly, too.

"General, I can't let you sit here and wallow in grief. Now you know why."

"Ras... how long have I been out here?"

"You don't know?" Link shook his head. "_Two weeks_."

"**_Two weeks_**?!?!?" Link asked incredulously as his stomach roared loudly.

"Two weeks. And, yes, I heard that."

Link smiled sheepishly and moved to stand. Ras held out his hand and Link grasped it and pulled himself up. The Hero of Time was surprised at how tingly and weak his legs felt after only two weeks without nourishment. He had thought he was tougher than that. But clearly, his own body wasn't willing to uphold his perceptions. But then, he remembered, when he had rode off on Epona that fateful day two weeks before, he _hadn't_ thought of anything but Zelda's death and the loss of his unborn child. He hadn't expected that he'd sit there for two weeks dwelling on memories that he should have swallowed and lived with for at _least_ one week. He'd expected that he'd be a rogue, travelling and killing those who oppressed the innocent.

Ras was reluctant to let Link walk on his own, but after the Hero of Time reassured him multiple times, he let up. As Link and Ras walked toward Epona, a dark shape unsheathed its golden sword and sped toward them.

* * *

Hmmm... I wonder who the newcomer is... LOL


	12. Chapter 12 New Recruit

WHOO! Man, it's been FOREVER since I wrote anything! Let's see if I've still got it in me.

Link: Gatorade?

Haninator: No. The ability to write, silly!

Link: I WAS just jokin'!

Haninator: I know. I was pretending I didn't know.

Link: Ah, females.

Haninator: But you gotta love us!

Link: This is true…

Haninator: WAHAHA! The world shall be our stage! *grabs Link around the shoulders* This is a fertile land… and we will thrive. We will rule over all this land and call it… this land.

Link: Okay, Wash…

Haninator: 8)

Link: HOLY CRAP! *runs away*

Haninator: I was just joking…

Meta: Have you had sugar?

Haninator: No… this is all natural me in the mornin'!

Meta: *over the radio* Hey, Link… is there any room in that bunker?

Link: I'll set the manual override for ya.

Meta: *escapes*

Haninator: :/ Not fun. Oh well… I don't own anyone but the giant Stalfos and Ras… and the bar/restaurant they go to. ;D They only serve non-alcoholic Hylian wine. (in the bar)

Chapter 12 New Recruit

It was silent. Epona's head shot up alertly. Link knew what it meant and drew the Kokiri Sword quickly, brandishing it like a dagger. Ras drew Ethyna, the blade glinting dangerously. The trained soldier pulled his sword in front of him, angling himself in a position that would allow him to protect his general. The figure came out of seemingly nowhere, clashing swords with Ras. Link was knocked flat on his rear as Ras stepped backwards, regaining his balance. To his surprise, the creature engaging him in combat floated in the air on what appeared to be enormous Keese wings.

"What are you?" Ras muttered through clenched teeth. Whatever this thing was, it wasn't going to get close to Link.

Link scooted near Epona, keeping the Kokiri Sword near him, pointed at the oddly-shaped attacker. It was short and had a spherical body which made it look positively harmless and aerodynamically challenged, but obviously neither assessment could be true. He idly wondered whether he should through the small sword at the creature, but discarded the idea as it would leave him weaponless should it approach him. He attempted to stand, but was met with failure. Frustrated with his body, he slammed his right fist against the ground.

By this time, Ras was certain he was going to die. The attacker was swift, deftly placing his attacks, making it terribly hard for him to deflect them. There was no doubt in the Hylian's mind that he was facing an expert. He had never been cocky enough to call himself an expert in the arts of wielding a sword with his albeit limited training with Link. The name was enough to give him new energy; it revived his fighting spirit. He could not fall. The moment he did would be the moment Hyrule lost the Hero of Time. He couldn't afford to be killed.

There came a mumble-like grunt that Ras recognized all too well. Stalfos. Link's eyes widened. He had heard them, too. The Hero of Time's Fairy Bow reached his hands and soon enough, he was firing arrows at the new threat. However, he was running low on ammunition and the arrows just bounced off the pirate-like skeleton. "Ras, we've got company!" he yelled.

The soldier looked up, knowing he was leaving himself vulnerable to the masked creature as he did so, and saw the Stalfos. It was enormous compared to the average size of the species. The masked being remained in front of Ras, sword locked with the soldier. He was chivalrous; he wouldn't kill a distracted opponent, and for that Ras was grateful. "Listen, whatever you may be, that thing over there," Ras said, pleading with the being's logic as he pointed at the gigantic Stalfos, "is going to kill us. If you want to live, I suggest you help me kill it."

The mask dropped a few inches and rose back to its former position. Ras took it to be a nod. He split the lock the swords had fallen into and took the being's side, angling Ethyna in front of his body, ready to defend himself. The Hylian feigned a slash at the Stalfos and jumped back as it retaliated. The creature had made its way to the back of the Stalfos. Ras fought hard, blocking as many attacks as he could, dodging the ones he couldn't, and praying that the being killed it before it killed him.

The giant raised its sword for a final blow, pointing its sword at the soldier's head. Ras knew it was going to kill him. He raised Ethyna in defiance.

The Stalfos would have smiled had it been able. Its blood-red sword flew toward Ras. Then, suddenly, it stopped. The Stalfos groaned and fell on its face. The creature pulled its golden sword from between vertebrae in the neck where it had stabbed the fallen Stalfos. "You can call me Meta Knight," it said in an accented voice. Ras was not familiar with the origin of the accent, but it wasn't like he'd traveled the way Link had.

"I'm Ras Deragn. Thanks for that. You saved us all…" the soldier trailed off, pondering why this being—Meta Knight—had chosen to defend them after attacking them in such a planned, orderly manner.

"It was nothing. If you don't mind my curiosity, what seems to be the problem with him?" Meta Knight pointed at Link, his eyes hitting him inquisitively.

"It's a long story; uh… can I call you 'Meta'?" Ras replied.

"Yes. And judging by the distance between the castle and where we are, there is time for it."

"This is true."

Link tried standing up and Ras was by his side in a second, lifting him up onto Epona. Ras was hurt by how light the general was. Just lifting him brought home how horrible the situation was. "You can sit up, general?"

"Yeah, Ras. And… I can tell the story… it… might do me some good to tell someone. I can't keep this locked away… Look at what two weeks of doing that has done to me." Link took a deep breath and swallowed, trying to keep his composure. "Have you ever had something taken from you, Meta Knight? Something you love more than life itself?" The masked being remained silent, gaze becoming noticeably compassionate beneath the amber visor as they made their way towards the castle. "I lost the woman I loved. Just when everything was going right, she was taken from me…" Link had to take a deep breath to quell the sobs and tears threatening to overtake him. The wound was too fresh to talk about. Even though two weeks of mourning had passed, the bitter liquor of pain couldn't be washed away. Link was certain that the pain would never go away. It stabbed at him, worse than the slice of a well-forged sword. "She… was taken by a manner of evil you will never suffer to see." His voice became angry and hate-filled, enough so that Ras and Meta were taken aback by it. "Ganondorf took her from me. And he's no longer alive." Link's face had twisted into one of sadistic pleasure. "His death was far too simple and painless for what he caused me. If I had one wish, it'd be that I could relive the moments when I killed him and made it infinitely more painful."

"General," Ras said, reaching up to touch Link's forearm, "take it easy." Ras was suddenly at a loss for words, something that didn't happen often.

"I understand your rage and pain, hero of Hyrule, but was vengeance really worth it? Did you gain anything by killing this man? Did it ease your pain?"

"It was worth it. It gave me a sliver of peace, of knowing that her killer was dead and couldn't harm anyone. But… as for the pain… truthfully… no. It didn't ease the pain at all." Link hung his head, emotionally spent. His thin frame shook with grief and pain suddenly. "I just want her back. Forget the last wish… I'd wish her back to life." The strong Hero of Time broke down into sobs in front of both of them. Ras felt it tug at his heart strings. If Link had been walking near him, he would have put his arm around his shoulders in a makeshift brotherly hug.

"Don't cry. Everything's gonna be fine, general." Ras tried hard to keep his friend together, but it was clear that it was a failing adhesive that kept the Hero of Time from going to pieces.

"Fine? No Ras. Nothing's going to be fine. She's gone. I failed. You can call me a hero, but I won't think of myself as one. I failed to protect the one thing in my life that centered me, kept me focused."

"Does he have mood swings like this often?" Meta asked out of the blue.

"No. They only started about two weeks ago… when he lost her," Ras said. Link continued on, sobbing throughout his speech.

"Hmmm. Interesting. Perhaps I could help with this."

"If you think so, Meta."

Reymond's Cantina was a relatively new restaurant with a non-alcoholic bar in Castle Town. Before it came into being, there were none such bars in all of Hyrule. Undoubtedly, most of the Castle Guards were drunks, visiting the various bars, hopping from one to another until they either passed out, or were too sick to drink another drop. The king was oblivious to such practices because he had no means of keeping tabs on the guards outside the castle walls. Reymond's Cantina was unique in another way: the bartender was female. Her name was Yvone Reymond and she could mix a non-alcoholic drink so it tasted as if it were just as good as any other beverage in the land. Some would even dare to say she had enough talent to make her drinks better than any other's. It was a wonder to many that she was unwed. She had a sparkling personality and her bar reflected such a quality.

The winning personality had roped Ras in from day one and due to this connection, he brought Link to Yvone. The duo was so familiar with each other that they were on a first-name basis. "Yvone, I've got someone I think you should meet," Ras said, helping Link to a booth in the darker corner of the bar.

"Whoa, there, honey." Yvone hastily came out from behind her bar to help Ras get Link into the booth. "Aw, dear, what'd you get yourself into this time, Ras?"

"He's a friend of mine… and he needs some of your best. Poor kid's been out in the butt-end of nowhere for two weeks. He hasn't had anything save a bit of water for at least that long."

"I'm not a kid." Link's eyebrows descended over his eyes. He looked up at Yvone from the booth. "Well… he is right about that two week ordeal." A sheepish smile took over his face.

"You've come to the right place, sweetie."

At that moment, Meta came in through the back door located near the corner Ras and Link had chosen. It had been part of the being's plan, seeing as he was unsure how other Hylians would react to his appearance. "I see we've found a place to get him some needed R and R."

"Good to see you could make it. Yes." Ras smiled. For once, everything seemed like it would work out.

"Hello," Yvone said. "I don't think I've seen you around before." She was used to seeing all kinds of people, humans and non-humans alike.

"The name's Meta Knight, Miss Yvone."

"Just call me Yvone." She smiled. "So, it looks like Greenie wants some roasted cuckoo, hmm?"

"Yes, ma'am, Yvone." Link returned her cheery expression. "I'm Link, by the way," he added gently.

"I'll get you one right away, you poor thing. Look at yourself. Ras chose the right place to bring you! Yvone'll put some meat on your bones."

Link chuckled. "She's not kidding," Ras put in. Link's eyes widened and he began to wonder what Ras had just gotten him into.

"Oh, wow," Link said, stretching.

"Told you," Ras said smugly, chuckling. The table was littered with plates not just from Link.

Yvone walked by and piled the plates up on her arm. "I take it you boys are done here, hmm?"

"Yeah. Thanks." Link smiled.

"You look livelier already! See, I told ya! Yvone's cooking's the best you'll ever get!"

"Thank you again, Yvone. To be truthful, there never was any doubt."

Yvone set off a brilliant smile and took the plates back towards the kitchen so they could be washed.

"As you may have guessed, I came here for a reason," The unexpected sentence came from Meta Knight. "I wanted to challenge the Hero of Time to a duel. However, the duel will have to wait."

"So _that's _why you were so willing to help us after you attacked us," Link said. "I knew there was something odd about it."

"Yes. In fact, a member of my crew… a… Hylian, such as yourselves, begged me not to challenge you. Luca has her moments where she is… beyond help… and I assumed it was one of those times. Perhaps you two have met before."

"Luca?" Link asked. "It means 'beautiful' in ancient Hylian."

"Then I believe you _have_ met." At a look from Ras, he added, "For a Hylian, of course."

Link just chuckled. "No, we haven't met… or at least I don't remember meeting her… Well, shoot! How am I supposed to remember someone you didn't describe in detail?"

Meta let a small laugh escape him. "Well, you'll soon have the privilege of meeting her, granted you feel like visiting my ship."

"Well… it ain't like we've got anything better to do at the moment."

"All right. As soon as you pay, we'll be off."

"Of course, 'cauz I'm just _made_ of Rupees."

"Ras, relax," Link admonished.

"The guy tries to kill us, and then I have to buy him dinner? That don't sound fair to me!"

"Calm down."

Ras sighed. "Fine." He went up to the bar and paid the bill.

I didn't mean to make Meta sound like a child molester, so don't insinuate that, okay?

Link: Oh, gosh… now that you mention it…

Meta: *pulls Galaxia* Now that she mentions _what_?

Link: O.o Oh, nothing.

Meta: That's what I thought.

Link: *grumbles*

Ras: Relax, general!

Link: One of these days, Ras. One of these days…

Haninator: SHUT UP. No death threats. If you threaten them, I _will_ withhold your coffee and cookies.

Link: Gorram author.

Haninator: Link! Why…? You're using Firefly curses with me? It's good to see you're branching out! :D

Ras: :| Well… that was unexpected.

Meta: Tell me about it.


End file.
